API 572 Questions
API 572 Questions
1. Make a copy – Always have a fresh copy when you repeat any guide or homework.
2. Don’t eat this “Elephant” at one time. The questions in this Guide are in the same order
as the content written in API 572. So … read a few pages in API 572 & then answer the
questions associated with those pages. Always put a MARK by questions that you GUESS.
3. Check your answers. Answer Key is provided in the back with API 572 references.
4. For questions that you either MISS or GUESS, look up the answer in API 572.
5. Have more time? Repeat the process; Read a few pages & then Answer more questions.
6. Don’t overlook short periods of time. Even 15 minutes is enough time to “eat through” 5-
10 pages of API 572 and complete the associated questions.
7. Note! Questions that are highlighted in YELLOW are Open Book Questions.
How many times should you do this Study Guide? Keep repeating this Guide until you can score
80+%!!! And then … occasionally repeat to maintain your peak score.
2. A CML:
3. If a CML is a spot, then what is normally the maximum diameter of the spot?
A. 1” C. 3”
B. 2” D. 4”
4. What is a defect?
A. Discontinuity
B. Discontinuity that renders a part unable to meet minimum acceptance standards
C. Flaw
D. Flaw where the depth exceeds the remaining corrosion allowance
A. a physical change.
B. restoring the vessel to original conditions.
C. restoring the vessel to a safe suitable condition.
D. changing either the design pressure or design temperature.
8. What is CUF?
9. What is an IOW?
3. Towers are used to either: fractionate, strip out a gas or liquid, or enrich a gas or liquid.
These terms are collectively called:
A. catalyzation. C. mass transfer.
B. chemical reactions. D. reformation.
7. In a fractionating column, the liquid at the top of the column comes from:
A. reclaimation. C. reformation.
B. reflux. D. stratification.
9. An exchanger is used to cool a vapor to the point that some or all the vapors convert to liquid.
This exchanger is often called a(n):
10. An exchanger cools a liquid to a lower temperature. This exchanger is often called a(n):
A. air cooler. C. condenser.
B. cooler. D. liquidizer.
11. An optionally part of an exchanger that is used to protect the tubes at the inlet nozzle is
called a(n):
A. baffle. C. impingement plate.
B. demister mat. D. strip lining.
12. Air coolers can be used to get the outlet process temperature down to within:
15. In a fixed bed reactor, the process gases typically flow through a(n):
A. acid. C. caustic.
B. catalyst. D. steam.
16. What vessel type has the best design efficiency? (uses less steel to hold the product)
18. Some horizontal vessels have a “boot”. What is a common purpose of a vessel boot?
A. Collect Solids C. Remove Water
B. Filter Product D. Vapor Removal
1. The vessel fabrication code called the “API/ASME Code for Unfired Pressure Vessels” was
discontinued in:
A. 1939. C. 1973.
B. 1956. D. 1980.
4. ASME Sect VIII – Div. 3 provides rules for vessels with pressures generally above:
6. What codes are used when constructing an air-cooler used in the petrochemical industry?
7. All manufacturers that build vessels to ASME Sect VIII Div 1 & 2 must have:
8. The ASME vessel manufacturer stamps the vessel with the appropriate code symbol. What is
the meaning of this Code Stamp?
10. When fabricating a vessel shell, which fabrication method does not result in a longitudinal
shell weld?
A. Extruding C. Multi-layer
B. Hot forging D. Rolling
11. Vessel shells constructed with multi-layers (a number of thin cylindrical sections) are
normally used for vessels having:
A. high design pressures. C. exotic materials.
B. high design temperatures. D. a small diameter.
13. Which of the following materials is seldom used to make a pressure vessel but is common in
heat exchanger tubes?
14. What is the primary purpose for installing a metallic liner on the inside of a vessel?
15. When are pressure vessel shells & heads normally made from a solid alloy material? (one
without cladding)
A. In corrosive service
B. Service where high product purity is needed
C. High operating temperatures
D. High operating pressures
E. Either operates at high temperatures or high pressures
16. Which of the following is a way that integrally bonded metallic liners are attached to the
base metal?
A. Explosion bonded C. Cold rolled with based metal
B. Fillet Welded D. Plug welded
17. Which of the following applies to non-integrally bonded liners? This may have more than one
correct answer, select all answers that apply.
19. What are two primary reasons for the use of non-metallic liners?
21. Which non-metallic material is usually used to build vessels in corrosive services?
A. CPVC C. PVC
B. FRP D. Refractory
22. Copper alloy exchanger tubes are often used in which of the following processes?
23. Titanium exchanger tubes are often used in which of the following processes?
1. Which of the following is a factor in that should be considered when developing an inspection
plan? This may have more than one correct answer, select all answers that apply.
3. Where is a common location for localized corrosion? This may have more than one correct
answer, select all answers that apply.
4. Which of the following fluid / material pairs could cause cracking? This may have more than
one correct answer, select all answers that apply.
A. Amines / CS C. Chlorides / CS
B. Caustics / SS D. Chlorides / SS
5. If the damage mechanisms that affect a vessel are not understood, then:
A. a proper inspection plan can not be developed.
B. the vessel should be inspected annually.
C. all the welds on this vessel should be checked with UT phase array.
D. the vessel should be pressure tested after the inspection.
7. The inspector selects appropriate NDE method(s) for an inspection. What is the most
important factor to consider when determining which NDE method(s) to use?
A. Expected damage mechanism(s)
B. Cost of NDE method
C. Original construction code’s NDE requirements
D. Portability of NDE method
8. What document would be useful to understand the type of damage mechanism that is
occurring on a vessel?
9. When should an inspection plan be reviewed and updated? This may have more than one correct
answer, select all answers that apply.
11. What should happen if the vessel’s operating conditions go outside the limits of the IOWs?
4. An On-stream inspection is done in lieu of an Internal Inspection. Which NDE method often
is not adequate to find suspected damage?
A. Spot UT C. UT Scan
B. UT Grid D. UT Flaw Detection
1. Which NDE method(s) may cause problems in a confined space by displacing breathing air?
A. AUT D. RT
B. MT E. AUT or RT
C. PT F. MT or PT
2. Which document should be followed when using breathing air in a confined space?
3. When using breathing air in a confined space which of the following is correct?
A. Breathing air should be provided from 2 independent sources.
B. Breathing air couplings should meet OSHA 2017 regulations.
C. Maximum duration to use breathing air is 30 minutes per hour.
D. Breathing air must have at least 30% Oxygen.
4. Often the inspector inside a column does not have visual contact with the entry attendant. At
most facilities how is this addressed?
A. Horn signals
B. Inspector should “pop-out” of vessel every 15 minutes.
C. Radios given to inspector and entry attendant.
D. Tap the Morse Code “SOS” on the wall with your hammer if in trouble. “dot-dot-dot,
dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot”
5. Which of the following is not a significant safety concern while inside a column?
A. Upset trays makes climbing dangerous
B. Release of gases that is underneath debris
C. Sharp edges on tray hardware
D. Determining whether to get a Rib-eye, or a Prime Rib tonight
6. Prior to inspecting a vessel, the inspector should become familiar with the vessel’s:
A. operating conditions. C. RT Factor.
B. relief valve. D. year of construction.
9. Normal vessel cleaning methods, like steam cleaning, is usually adequate to meet the
inspector’s needs for an internal inspection. Extra cleaning such as abrasive-grit or water
blasting may be required when inspecting for:
A. localized thin areas. C. stress corrosion cracking.
B. deep pitting. D. thermal fatigue cracking.
10. The degree of surface preparation needed for an internal inspection depends on the:
12. Vessels are often cleaned with a high-pressure water blast? What is the typical pressure
used for this water blast?
A. 1000 - 2000 psig C. 8000 – 12,000 psig
B. 2000 - 8000 psig D. 12,000 – 40,000 psig
1. During the internal inspection a large vessel, the inspector finds that the bottom third of the
vessel has a 4” layer of coke deposit. Which of the following is correct? 10.1
A. Must determine if base metal under deposit is corroding.
B. The deposit does not need to be removed, since it always protects the base metal.
C. All of the deposit must be removed to determine base metal condition.
D. Some of the deposit must be removed & analyzed by a lab.
10. Tough question! The temperature of a hot-spot on a refractory lined vessel should be
periodically checked. Which of the following is not an acceptable method for checking the
temperature?
A. Portable thermocouple
B. Thermography (infrared imaging camera)
C. Temperature indicating crayons
D. Place your hand on surface for exactly 1 second. Calculate the vessel
temperature based on the depth of the 3rd degree burns on your hand.
11. A hot-spot has developed on a refractory lined carbon steel vessel. During the next internal
inspection, the wall at the hot-spot should be metallurgically examined whenever the metal
temperature for an extended period of time has exceeded:
A. 450 oF. C. 850 oF.
B. 750 oF. D. 1100 oF.
A. Check for cracking on the nozzle welds and any adjacent shell welds.
B. Check the hardness of the nozzle welds.
C. Taking close-grid UT readings on the nozzle and shell in the distorted area.
D. Only note the distortion in your inspection report.
15. Catalytic reformer vessels may have creep damage if the operating temperature is:
A. MT. C. replication.
B. profile RT. D. ring gauging the vessel.
18. The vessel’s external inspection should start by first inspecting the:
19. Which of the following is true concerning the inspection of ladders and platforms?
A. hammer-tapping.
B. UT.
C. visual examination.
D. looking for nuts on the ground using API’s certified Squirrelly Inspectors.
27. Which of the following does not cause cracking in concrete foundations?
29. Small hair-like cracks in concrete foundations can be a problem if the crack:
30. Major cracking is found in a concrete foundation. Vessel settlement is checked and is
determined to not be a contributing factor. What is the probable cause(s)?
32. What examination method is normally used to examine in-service anchor bolts?
A. Eddy current C. Radiography
B. Hammer-testing D. Scrapping with a scrapper of wire brush
35. What is one of the best ways to prevent external corrosion on structural steel?
A. Fireproofing C. Insulation
B. Galvanizing D. Painting
37. To check for distortion of a vessel skirt, take diameter measurements of the skirt every:
A. 10 feet. C. 60 degrees.
B. 45 degrees. D. 90 degrees.
38. The inside of a vessel skirt may be subject to corrosion from condensed moisture if the
temperature in the skirt is:
44. Guy wires supporting tall vessels should be occasionally lubricated to:
45. At the end of a guy wire, the wire wraps, making an 180o bend and is held together by clips.
The spacing between the clips should be at least:
A. 3” apart. C. 3 wire diameters apart.
B. 6” apart. D. 6 wire diameters apart.
46. At the end of a guy wire, the wire wraps, makes an 180o bend and is held together by clips.
The minimum number of clips is:
47. Vessel grounding is primarily needed to provide a path for electrical current from:
51. Vessel sight glasses and other auxiliary equipment should be checked for:
A. expansion. C. sulfidation.
B. HTHA. D. vibration.
53. Which of the following coating failures is easily missed during a visual examination?
A. Blisters C. Holidays
B. Film lifting D. Rusting
54. Where are the two most likely areas for paint failures?
55. An external inspection is being conducted on an insulated vessel. How much insulation should
be removed to check the vessel’s external surface condition?
56. CUI is a concern for insulated carbon steel vessels that operate between:
57. CUI is a concern for insulated low-alloy steel vessels that operate between:
58. CUI is a concern for insulated austenitic stainless-steel vessels that operate between:
A. 10 to 350 oF. C. 140 to 350 oF.
B. 25 to 250 oF. D. 280 to 350 oF.
60. CUI is an inspection concern for insulated vessels that operate at 500 oF and:
61. Which of the following insulated vessels is most likely to experience CUI?
62. What on-stream NDE techniques may be able to locate moist insulation? This may have more
than one correct answer, select all answers that apply.
A. MFL C. Real-time RT
B. Neutron back scatter D. Thermography
1. Which of the following applies when coke deposits are found in a vessel?
A. It is important to determine if there is active corrosion under the deposit.
B. Coke deposits are always an effective barrier to internal corrosion.
C. Coke deposits always increase the vessel’s corrosion rate.
D. Coke deposits must always be removed.
2. Prior to doing the official Internal inspection, a preliminary inspection is suggested. What is
the purpose of the preliminary inspection? This may have more than one correct answer, select
all answers that apply.
5. The upper shell and top head of a distillation towers are sometimes subject to:
7. Sludge settles on a vessel’s bottom head, what corrosion mechanism is likely to occur?
A. Concentration cell corrosion D. Stress corrosion cracking
B. Dealloying E. Uniform corrosion
C. Sludgitization
A. inlet nozzle.
B. vessel wall directly below the nozzle.
C. vessel wall opposite the nozzle.
D. vessel’s anchor bolts. (once again proving it is difficult to come up with 3 wrong answers!)
9. When a reboiler is used with a tower (fractionating column), a common place for corrosion is:
A. the inlet to the reboiler. C. at the tower where the hot process returns.
B. top head of the tower. D. at the tower where the cold process returns.
14. Which of these exchanger components would have a higher expected corrosion rate?
17. An impingement plate is installed on an exchanger bundle at the inlet nozzle. What area is
most susceptible to corrosion?
18. Prior to inspecting a vessel, which of the following does the inspector not need to understand?
20. What is the minimum number of UT examination points suggested for a small vessel that has
slight deterioration?
A. One
B. One on each head and one on the shell
C. One on each head and one on each shell course
D. Four on each head and four on each shell course
23. Which of the following services does not promote cracking in the equipment?
A. Amine C. Caustic
B. Sulfuric Acid D. Wet H2S
25. Which of the following NDE methods is not good for surface breaking cracks?
A. ACFM C. Profile RT
B. ET D. UT Flaw Detection
28. Austenitic stainless steels are particularly susceptible to: This may have more than one correct
answer, select all answers that apply.
29. In a susceptible environment, check steels for cracking when the tensile strength exceeds:
A. 70,000 psi. C. 110,000 psi.
B. 90,000 psi. D. 125,000 psi.
33. Often corrosion will occur on an exchanger shell at the location of the bundle baffles. An
easy way to find this corrosion is by:
34. Areas directly above or below the liquid level in vessels having acidic components may be
subject to:
A. caustic embrittlement. D. creep.
B. hydrogen blistering. E. fatigue.
C. graphitization. F. dealloying.
36. What is another way that can be used to find hydrogen blisters?
46. The grooves on an existing ring-joint flange should be checked for cracking caused by:
51. A vessel is clad with a SS liner. A SS corrosion tab, perpendicular to the shell, is added to
help determine if the liner is corroding. Ten years later, it’s found that the tab’s corrosion
rate is 0.002 ipy. What is estimated corrosion rate of the SS liner?
53. If there are indications that a metallic liner has leaked, it is important to determine the:
A. thickness of the liner.
B. displacement of the bulged area.
C. condition of the base metal under the liner.
D. the identification of the welder who previously installed the liner.
55. What is the primary purpose for refractory linings? This may have more than one correct
answer, select all answers that apply.
A. blister. D. voidea.
B. film lift off. E. lamination.
C. holiday.
58. Spark testing is being performed on a coating. What happens if the voltage on the spark
tester exceeds the dielectric strength of the coating?
59. Which type of vessel is very susceptible to damage and very costly to repair? (assume all the
following vessels are the same size)
A. Glass Lined C. Refractory Lined
B. High Nickle Alloy D. Rubber Lined
61. A vessel has an internal refractory lining. Which of the following is correct?
63. What is a common way to check the base metal condition under a deteriorated internal lining?
64. What tool is useful for finding deteriorated refractory lining while the vessel is in service?
A. RT. C. RT or UT.
B. UT. D. RT, UT or Eddy Current.
4. Magnetic flux scanning techniques can be used to detect wall loss on vessels:
A. of any material. C. made from austenitic SS.
B. of any wall thicknesses. D. with a wall thickness < 0.5” thick.
8. After an inspection, what are the two most important factors that need to be understood?
10. Extra metal in a vessel wall may have been used by the Designer to provide:
11. ASME B&PV Sect VIII does not provide a formula to calculate the retirement thickness of:
12. ASME B&PV Section VIII does provide a formula to calculate the retirement thickness of:
A. 2:1 elliptical heads. C. ladders.
B. baffles. D. platforms.
18. During repairs & alterations to vessels, who is responsible to establish the requirements for
an appropriate PMI program?
19. What document is useful in setting the requirements for a PMI program?
20. What document provides information on the corrosive effect of residual elements on carbon
steel in HF acid service?
21. In which of the following situations is hammer testing typically used today?
1. During a shutdown, a vessel is internally inspected. A portion of the shell is currently below
the minimum required thickness. What are acceptable options? This may have more than one
correct answer, select all answers that apply.
1. A vessel is structurally sound, but due to corrosion it is no longer thick enough for the
designed conditions. The vessel:
2. If a jurisdiction requires a vessel repair to meet the National Board Inspection Code, what
stamp must the Repair Organization possess?
A. A C. UV
B. U D. R
4. A vessel’s shell thickness is 2.000”. The corrosion allowance is 0.250”. During an inspection,
the wonderful, talented, API inspector (who attended an MSTS class) discovers in a
longitudinal weld, a 24” long crack that is 0.150” deep. Which of the following is true?
6. A deep crack in a vessel shell weld will be removed and then re-welded. Which of the
following is true?
A. A pressure test must be done after repairs are completed.
B. The area should be beveled to about a 37.5 degree angle.
C. Welders can be qualified to AWS D1.1.
D. Either MT or PT should be performed prior to welding.
2. A pressure test would probably not be required after which of the following repairs?
A. Install a 3’ x 4’ insert plate in the shell
B. Weld overlay a 5’ x 4’ corroded area in the shell
C. Replace the vessel’s top head
D. Add a 16 NPS nozzle in the top head
4. After an exchanger hydrotest, the water is drained. But some residual water cannot be
drained. What may need to be done?
5. A pneumatic pressure test is performed on a large vessel. What is one way to determine the
location of remote leaks?
A. Block-in the vessel and see if the pressure drops
B. UT leak detector
C. Binoculars
D. Thermography
6. A vessel is being vacuum tested. What is one negative aspect of a vacuum test?
8. A tube-side pressure test is being performed on a floating head exchanger bundle. The
bundle is in the shell. Piping connected to a bottom shell nozzle is removed. This test will
show bundle integrity and can be used to locate which of the following leaks?
9. During pressure test of a bundle, a leaking tube is discovered. Other tubes are acceptable
for a future operational run. The leaking tube is normally:
A. 5%
B. 10%
C. 25%
D. As many as needed, if it doesn’t impact the bundle’s ability to transfer adequate heat
energy.
15. A pressure test is conducted after an alteration on a vessel that has a shell thickness of 2.5”.
The minimum metal temperature allowed during this pressure test is:
A. 10oF. D. 10oF. above the vessel MDMT.
B. 30oF. E. 30oF. above the vessel MDMT.
C. 60oF.
16. A pressure test is conducted after a repair on a vessel that has a shell thickness of 1.25”.
The minimum metal temperature allowed during this pressure test is:
A. 10oF. D. 10oF. above the vessel MDMT.
B. 30oF. E. 30oF. above the vessel MDMT.
C. 60oF.
17. What is the most important concern when hydrotesting a large in-service vessel?
18. During a turnaround, many temporary isolation blinds are installed. What is one significant
potential problem with these isolation blinds?
19. When performing a pneumatic pressure test of a vessel, the requirements of which code
should be followed?
A. Amine Service
B. Potential for Heavy Fouling
C. Only Light Hydrocarbons
D. Very Clean Services
4. Which of the following is not an advantage of a valve tray vs. a sieve tray?
A. Less expensive
B. Operate over a wider range of operating flow rates
C. Pressure profile across column is easier to maintain
D. Valve Caps are able to close
6. Which of the following the primary advantage of trays with Floating Valves as compared to
sieve trays?
7. What way can Floating Valve trays be designed to offer a greater Operating Range?
12. Fireproofing should be checked for CUF (corrosion under fireproofing) if the fireproofing is
bulged or if there is a crack over:
13. Which are significant reasons for a preliminary internal, “the dirty inspection”, of the inside a
column? This may have more than one correct answer, select all answers that apply.
14. What problem can occur from improper installation of a demister mat in a tower with packing?
15. In a tower, a couple of the top head nozzles have either no flow or very low flow. What
problem might occur in the nozzles?
18. Why does API 572 recommend striking the washer instead of the nut when hammer testing
distributor hardware? ( Yes, I know this gives away the previous answer !!! )
19. What is a common way to check whether “random tower packing” is too thin?
21. When doing an internal inspection, vortex breaker welds should be tested using:
26. An inspector has gained a basic understanding of how a tower works and what each section
does. Which of the following is a benefit for this inspector?
33. Trays operating at maximum conditions may crack at stress points due to:
37. The top of tray rings a common area for aggressive corrosion. Why?
38. What is a good technique for finding shell surface corrosion above the top tray or below the
bottom tray?
A. Finger scanning C. Shadowing
B. Keyholing. D. Spot UT
Annex B
1. C B.1.3
2. A B.1.3
3. B B.1.3
4. A B.1.4
5. C B.1.5
6. D B.1.6
7. C B.1.6
8. A B.2.1
9. B B.2.2
10. C B.2.2
11. A B.2.3
12. B B.3.2.2
13. BCD B.3.3
14. B B.3.4.2
15. D B.3.4.2
16. A B.3.4.2
17. D B.3.4.2
18. C B.3.4.2
19. D B.3.4.2
20. D B.3.4.2
21. B B.3.4.2
22. C B.3.4.4
23. C B.3.4.4
24. A B.3.4.4
25. A B.3.4.4
26. E B.3.5.2.1
27. C B.3.5.2.1
28. D B.3.5.2.1.b
29. B B.3.5.2.2.1
30. D B.3.5.2.2.2
31. B B.3.5.2.2.3
32. A B.3.5.2.2.4
33. D B.3.5.2.2.4
34. D B.3.5.2.2.4
35. A B.3.5.2.2.4
36. B B.3.5.2.2.4
37. C B.3.5.2.2.5
38. C B.3.5.3
SDG